Case StudyAssurant Solutions' Workplace Canteen

About Assurant Solutions

Assurant Solutions is a global provider of protection products and services to the banking, telecom and retail sectors. Assurant are also a market leader in mobile device protection. A Fortune 500 company, Assurant has a market presence in 21 countries.

The Story

Assurant established its European headquarters in Crewe in 2013 where the current workforce stands at over 1,000 people. Assurant strive to be an employer of choice for the local area and therefore place the wellbeing of their staff at the heart of how they operate.

Due to the location of the site on an out of town business park, Assurant’s management recognised the importance of being able to provide their workforce with a high quality on site dining facility, as well as having areas available where their employees can take breaks and hold meetings with other team members and clients.

The Totally Delicious Concept

We always work closely with clients to ensure that we create a dining environment and food choices that are tailored to the individual needs of their business. Having already worked with other clients from the customer service sector we understand the balance that needs to be struck between maximising space and providing staff with the right environment to take rest breaks and to eat.

We therefore designed and built a bespoke concession style staff canteen that created a space where staff can purchase food throughout the day, which they can then choose to consume there or to take away to one of the many break out areas that have been provided throughout the buildings.

Assurant Solutions wanted to ensure their employees made the most of their break and lunch times. So, we introduced our grab and go concept to solve the issue of queue times that had been a problem with their previous on-site canteen service. The grab and go concept caters for all with a variety of sandwiches, baguettes and paninis as well as healthy salads and fruit pots.

Alongside our grab and go options, we serve a variety of cooked meals that are changed regularly, to give employees new choices. We have various themed meal days including Curry Thursday and American Friday, which are incredibly popular and allow staff to customise their own meals. Assurant Solutions’ latest menu also includes protein enriched main meals, to ensure staff stay energised throughout the day. We also manage several vending machines throughout the building, to give staff always easy access to food and drink.

The Totally Delicious Team used their expertise to plan and design the new staff dining area to create a contemporary and relaxed environment for staff to enjoy. We oversaw the whole project right from the initial planning stages, to selecting fixtures and fitting, through to the final install.

Once the new canteen and vending services were complete, we then took over the day to day management of these operations providing a totally managed service. This means that we oversee all aspects of this service, from managing canteen staff on site, recruiting new staff where needed, delivering training and providing cover for sickness and holiday.

Why it Works

We believe that the secret to the success of the Totally Delicious concept is the relationship that we establish with our clients. We spend considerable time in getting to understand each of our customer’s individual needs and we design a canteen solution that is right for them. While each of our canteens are developed with the same philosophy – providing a contemporary and relaxed environment for staff to enjoy, eat and spend time together – each canteen is unique, to meets the needs of the business and staff.

The Result

Here’s what Ruth Wright at Assurant Solutions, had to say about working with the Totally Delicious team and the success of their new staff canteen…

“Our staff wellbeing is incredibly important to us and we knew that our old staff canteen wasn’t working as we wanted.

Right from day one, the Totally Delicious team took the time to really understand what we were looking to achieve and what they have delivered has far exceeded our expectations. But more importantly the feedback that we have had from our staff has been fantastic both in terms of the menu choices and the new environment that has been created.

For me and the rest of the management team having Totally Delicious on board to manage all of the day to day operations of our dining facilities, gives us complete peace of mind and lets us focus on other aspects of running our business.

I would whole heartedly recommend Totally Delicious to other businesses who want to create a different type of dining experience for their staff.”